Aid Agencies Still Trying to Send Supplies - 2001-10-09

International aid agencies are struggling to deal with the security situation in Afghanistan to keep relief supplies flowing.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says it is trying to get emergency relief supplies into Afghanistan via Iran after convoys from Pakistan were stopped because of the security situation.

A UNICEF official said the group will be sending a convoy of seven trucks with food and medicines from Iran into Herat Tuesday.

But another U.N. food agency, the World Food Program, says it is temporarily halting food shipments into the country, and only the convoys that are already inside Afghanistan are proceeding to Kabul and Herat. It says the suspension is likely to last while U.S.-led air strikes at suspected terrorist and other targets in Afghanistan continue.

The two U.N. agencies told reporters in Geneva that the security of their local staff still in Afghanistan and their aid workers deployed in Pakistan is their top priority.

Concern for the safety of aid workers was heightened after air strikes killed four Afghans who were working with United Nations' de-mining operations in Kabul.

Meanwhile, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says the agency has no reports of large movements of Afghan people or of people massing at the border. The office said one explanation could be an increased presence of the Taleban in the border areas, which could intimidate would-be refugees.

Tuesday, the Amensty International called on the warring sides in Afghanistan to respect international rules of warfare and protect civilians.